Pokemon: The Power Trials
by zxZxZxzx
Summary: Trainers from all over the world are welcomed to one place. One island. One stadium. Five trials. For POWer. dEstruction. Revenge. UPDATED.
1. Prologue

**Prologue:**

Trainers are those that pair up with their Pokemon and battle with them. There are the normal trainers, and the better of them. There are trainers that have faith in their Pokemon, and yet there are also those that are masters at the art of competitive battling. The best trainers of them all are those that possess both such qualities, and these trainers will today be beckoned from all over the world to the Power Stadium. Thus are the Power Trials.


	2. Decision

I hope you enjoy.

* * *

The Power Trials

Chapter One: Decision

_Eldon panted, his heart pounding as sweat trickled down his forehead and sunk into the hard dirt beneath him. He immediately stopped running, and glanced right. His Weavile, Ara, had collapsed. _This is a death sentence! _He thought, staring up at a forbidding mountain looming before him, its peak plunging into the clouds. Sucking up a last gulp of breath, he gasped and fell onto the ground, unconscious._

**Two Days Ago**

It was a bright, sunny day…

_Filled with lollipops, smiley faces, and happy rainbows… _Eldon thought, stretching back contentedly on the grass he was lying on. He was a twelve year old of sturdy build, wearing a plain dark blue t-shirt and khaki brown cargo pants, and was lying in a meadow not far from Vermilion City.

Eldon was watching his Jolteon and Vaporeon chasing each other when his Salamence suddenly streaked through the air towards him, crashing onto the ground, causing Eldon to roll over and jump up.

"What's wrong, Airclaw?" He asked uncertainly.

Airclaw growled and nodded towards the air. A blue dot could be seen surging towards them, and then with a loud boom, a Garchomp smashed into the ground. Airclaw roared into the air this time, raising his wings. Eldon winced with shock as he saw a deep gash on his side.

"What…" He started, before a tall man in a dark denim jacket slid down smoothly from the ground.

"Good morning," He said pleasantly. "I have come to inform you that you have been invited to The Power Trials."

Eldon gaped at him for a second, and then came back to his senses. "What the heck? Who are you? And why is my Salamence wounded that badly?"

"Ah, that will come later," He said. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Alan Harrison, but you may just call me Mr. H. The Power Trials are a test and competition of the top ranked trainers of the world, and the winner will be awarded a fabulous prize. You are one of the top ranked ones, and you are gladly invited. Your Salamence put up a great fight, I see."

At these words, a growl rumbled deeply in Airclaw's throat. The Garchomp merely smiled.

"I'm one of the top ranked trainers?" Eldon asked, slightly surprised.

"Yes," Harrison replied. "You're ranked in the seventeenth place. Check your team info." With that, he handed Eldon a slip of paper, folded in half.

Eldon unfolded it and scanned it quickly.

Eldon Silver:

Team:

Weavile, Female(Ara) Item: Focus Sash

Moves:

Ice Shard

Brick Break

Night Slash

Counter

Salamence, Male (Airclaw) Item: Life Orb

Moves:

Earthquake

Flamethrower

Dragon Claw

Dragon Dance

Jolteon, Male (Jolt) Item: Choice Specs

Moves:

Thunderbolt

Shadow Ball

Signal Beam

Hidden Power (Grass)

Vaporeon, Female (Lutra) Item: Leftovers

Moves:

Surf

Hidden Power (Electric)

Wish

Protect

Gyarados, Male – SHINY (Rage) Item: Wide Lens

Moves:

Stone Edge

Waterfall

Earthquake

Dragon Dance

Porygon-Z (Hyper-Unit) Item: Silk Scarf

Moves:

Agility

Ice Beam

Tri Attack

Psychic

Eldon folded the piece of paper and handed it back to Harrison.

"So?" He asked impudently.

"So?" Harrison repeated this in mock surprise. "Great moves and items, and a well built team! This is why you're so good! You've beaten both the Kanto and the Sinnoh Elite Four! C'mon, let's go to the Pokemon Center and rest up your Salamence, he kind of ambushed us and my Garchomp got angry. We'll talk about it there."

Eldon hesitated, and then nodded, beckoning his Pokemon forward.


	3. Meetings

Oh yeah, a special thank-you to Finalsmasher13, I never knew my test fic would get faves that fast, and thank you Fire Drastar for reviewing.

* * *

**The Power Trials:**

**Chapter 2: Meetings**

Harrison made himself comfortable on a plushy armchair in the lobby of the Vermilion Pokémon Center, and gestured for Eldon to sit down.

"We can talk when your Salamence is getting healed up," Harrison said, smiling. "Well, you see, since you're still very young, I have some questions to ask you. If you're going on alone, are your parents going to be worried?"

"I've already told them that I'm re-touring the Kanto Region for a few months," Eldon said. "So, tell me about this… Power Trial thing."

"The Power Trials could be seen as a test of your skills, you know, like a practical exam. You and other top-ranking trainers will be put through five different tests with your Pokémon, and the winner will be able…" At this, Harrison hesitated, fidgeting a bit. "…Able to win a fabulous prize." He finished with a bright smile. "All of this will be situated in the Power Stadium, a massive complex with a man-made ecosystem built inside. The Power Stadium is on an island between Hoenn and Kanto. So, what do you think? You could also think of it as a test of your abilities."

Eldon thought for a moment, and then said, "I'll do it."

Harrison stood up briskly as nurse came to their side and delivered Airclaw's Pokeball. Eldon nodded thanks to the nurse and stood up too.

"How long will the trials take?" He asked politely.

Thought contorted Harrison's face before he said, "Mmm… I would say… About ten days. One day to rest between each trial. We'll board the official ship immediately, and after that, you will be shown around. Hurry up, let's go!" Harrison began walking hurriedly towards the main door of the Pokemon Center.

Eldon began following him.

***

The ship was a sleek white cruiser, with the words "The Power Trials" etched in black along one side. In the middle was the control cabin, and outside was a spacious deck, fifteen people already littered amongst it. Eldon was the sixteenth. He stood behind the railings of the side of the ship with his hands in his pockets, and breathed in the salty sea air. It would be three more hours before they reached the Power Stadium, and a waitress had already served each of them a sandwich snack and juice. He looked back and took in his surroundings. There were several adults and a few kids around his age, but mostly they were teens.

One of the kids walked up to him. "Taking in your surroundings, eh?"

"Yeah," Eldon said, glancing at the person beside him. He was slightly taller than Eldon.

"The name's John," He said. "And I feel really jolly."

Eldon at first thought he had met someone crazy, but then he took a look at him and found that he was being sarcastic. John looked very bored.

"Ah frick, I'm so hungry now," John said, starting to walk away. "That sandwich wasn't enough, I'll go talk to the waitress to see if I can get some more. Talk to you later."

Eldon shrugged and continued to stare at the sea. At least he had made a new friend. A few minutes later, John came back with two large sandwiches stuffed with grilled ham, cheese, and lettuce.

"Whoa," Eldon observed. "You sure know how to convince people."

"Yeah," John said, and took away half his sandwich with a single bite. After some chewing and swallowing, he asked, "So what rank are you in the world?"

"Uh, I'm seventeenth, I guess. I just found that out – I had no idea before."

"Oh," John said, finishing his sandwich with a single bite.

Eldon waited until he had swallowed everything, and then asked, "You?"

"I'm thirteen years old, come from Johto, and I'm ranked in twelfth place," John said rapidly, then grinned, and then switched immediately back to a serious expression.

"Wow, twelfth?" Eldon exclaimed, slightly surprised. "You're good."

"Thanks," John said. "Oh goody, I feel like a water Pokémon battle. Want one? I'm so bored."

Eldon shrugged. "Okay, why not?"

Eldon stood on the end of the cruiser while John made himself comfortable on the other side, sitting contentedly on the railing.

Eldon unclasped a Pokeball from his belt and pointed it at the water. "Rage, it's your turn to shine!"

A flash of red streaked into the water as a giant shape materialized into a massive red Gyarados, his scales glittering in the sun. Rage dove into the water with a small splash and sped up again, twirling around in the sky before diving back in.

"Nice show," John commented in a bored voice, and pointed his own Pokeball at the water, and a smaller than average Azumarill popped out into the water, frolicking happily. A red and yellow Choice Band was strapped onto her right arm, glowing yellow with power.

"Meet Savior." John said. "She's one of my best."

"Rage, use Dragon Dance!" Eldon yelled.

At this time, some people had gathered to the railings to watch.

"Thunderpunch, Savior!" John called out.

Rage began twirling majestically in the air, as waves of orange energy began coursing across his body. Before he could finish, however, Savior blasted up through the surface of the water, a torrent of water following behind her. Her Choice Banded arm began crackling with electricity, and she blasted herself level to Rage's face. A quick flash of yellow light shot from Rage's eyes and connected with Savior's, causing her to flinch and slow the swing of her punch. Nevertheless, the punch connected on Rage's horns, causing him to roar and crash back into the water.

"Whaddafrick…" John muttered. "Use Thunderpunch again, Savior!"

"Earthquake, Rage!" Eldon yelled.

"Haha, that's funny," John commented while grinning. "Earhquake on water? I mean, whaddafrick."

Rage roared into the air once more and slammed his tail into the water, causing massive waves of orange energy to surge through the water. Savior was hit head on, and was blasted into the air.

"Dive into the water and Thunderpunch Rage's stomach!" John called out. Savior dove into the water again, bruised and battered, and began generating electricity with her fist. The water crackled and steamed as Savior sped through the water, and she slammed her fist into Rage's underbelly. There was an explosion as Rage was blasted through the air, crashing back down in the water. Savior had won.

There were a few claps from the spectators, and John and Eldon both congratulated their Pokemon, retracting them both back into their Pokeballs.

"That was a good battle," Eldon said.

"Yeah…" John said. "You should've attacked me first instead of Dragon Dancing. Then you could've attacked me two times. That would've had a better chance of beating me."

"Well, I can learn from my mistakes, right?" Eldon said cheerfully. "I really wonder when we arrive."

"Holy frick," John exclaimed, pointing off into the distance. "We're already here!"

Eldon looked where he was pointing. A colossal metal dome with a forest surrounding it on a desolate island could be seen…

* * *

Well, tell me what you thought about it!


	4. The Power Stadium

Thank you Legendary Fairy and Fire Drastar for reviewing.

* * *

**The Power Trials:**

**Chapter 3: The Power Stadium**

"Anchor away!" A deep booming voice hit the air, and a burly man in a black and yellow captain's suit stepped out of the main cabin.

"Okay, people." He projected his voice clearly, and adjusted his cap. "This is it. We're here! You'll go down from those stairs there," He indicated a flight of stairs slowly folding from the ship's hull. "And onto the pier." He pointed to a large boardwalk to the side of it. "Mr. Harrison here will show you your places."

Harrison cleared his throat and made his way down the stairs and onto the boardwalk, and the people aboard the cruiser followed him.

"Doesn't look so welcoming," John muttered, gazing up at the steel dome. It was surrounded by a dense forest.

The group of people made their way across the boardwalk until they made a line before a small tent. There they each received card scanner keys from grim faced officials.

"These cards are the keys to your rooms," Harrison announced. "There is a number on the card that indicates your rooms. I will show you to the dorm lobby, and then you will have an hour to unpack and rest. After that I will show you the stadium, and you will be presented with your first task."

Eldon examined his card closely. It was white with blue and green stripes across the top, and below on the left was a red Pokeball emblem. The number 205 could be seen on the right. He was on the second floor.

As soon as everyone had taken their cards, they followed Harrison into the forest. Buzzing and chirping from different Bug Pokemon could be heard, and birdsong filled the air. The trees were green and alive and rustling with different kinds of Pokemon, and the air was crisp and cool. The group trudged through soft soil along a foot beaten path for twenty minutes, until they finally reached a large brick house that was facing the ocean.

"This is it," Harrison announced proudly. "The Stadium is right in front of the dorm's main entrance, so it'll be easy finding your way." With that, he began walking away towards the Power Stadium, and talk was erupting slowly amongst the group

"Wow, that was a short walk," John muttered sarcastically to Eldon, and they followed the others into glass sliding doors, the main entrance. Inside was a large, state-of-the-art lobby, furnished completely with a Romanesque carpet. On both the left and right walls there were floor to ceiling windows complete with light brown curtains. On the right side of the room was a large area scattered with armchairs, and on the left were some tables and chairs. A fifty-five inch plasma screen T.V. was attached to the wall on the right.

Eldon's eyes met the front middle of the room, and there were large double doors, opened up to a flight of stairs. With the other people, he began walking up the stairs. The first landing was a long hall with four doors on each side, and the second was the same. He walked through the hallway, seeing that a tall girl, John, a couple, a woman, and a boy, were following him. He supposed that they were all on the same floor, and quickly found Room 205. It was an ocean view room.

"Oh goody, I'm in Room 203," John observed, placing his card on a scanner near the side of the door. It slid open to the side and he walked in. Eldon copied him, and he stepped into the room as the door slid automatically shut behind him. It was a generic hotel room floor plan, short hallway with a bathroom on the left and a closet on the right. There was a bed against the right side of the wall in a small room and furniture on the right, with a balcony at the very front. It was very clean and fancy. Taking off his shoes, Eldon pushed open the glass sliding door to the balcony and stepped outside. The sky was foggy, and the sea seemed endless. After staring at the sea for a while, he lay on the bed and took a nap…

_**All contestants report to the stadium. I repeat, all contestants report to the stadium.**_ Eldon took notice of a small loudspeaker at the top corner of the ceiling, and woke up immediately, putting his shoes back on and rushed out the door, nearly crashing into John.

"Woah," Eldon exclaimed, surprised.

"Dude, you wouldn't believe what I saw…" The rest of John's voice was muffled with people going out of their rooms and down the stairs.

"Wha?" Eldon asked.

"Nevermind. Tell you later."

And so they went down the stairs.

oOo

"Excellent," Said Harisson, smiling, as they appeared at the massive front entrance of the dome.

"Follow me," And he stepped up to two large glass doors, pressing his thumb on a fingerprint scanner. The doors slid smoothly open, and they all stepped in to experience a wave of air conditioning. A modern lobby could be seen, and there were armchairs and snack bars all over the place. There were three large elevators on the front of the room, and this was where Harrison led them to.

"This is the elevator for spectators," He said, pointing to the first. "The middle one is for challengers of the main tasks, and that one on the very right is a secret trial that you're not allowed to know now."

He cleared his throat, and then started speaking again. "The first trial will be split into three times. The first time will be for the first group of five people. Let me read out the names. They are: John Ocat, Megan Rayme, Alessandra Cesarini-"

A girl in a blue T-shirt, ice blue knee-length skirt, and black shoes broke in.

"Just call me Alex, please."

"Okay, Alex Cesarini, Markus Pearl, and…"

Eldon raised his eyebrows.

"Eldon Silver." Harisson swung his hand slowly towards the elevator doors. As if on cue, they slid open to reveal a large space with a floor to ceiling window.

"Enter."

* * *

R&R please.


	5. The Trial of Endurance

Hi everyone. You know, it's funny being the author or the reader. When I was writing it, it was really tiring, but when I read chapter 3, it actually wasn't that boring. Anyhow, Thank you Somepersonoutthere, Legendary Fairy, and Fire Drastar for reviewing. Somepersonoutthere, I will use Lindsay Skies in chapter 5 maybe, but not 4, and another thing – you didn't tell me who Spirit was. I'm guessing it's Misdreavus? It'd be better if you tell me.

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*If you're used to the metric system, it's about 4.5 meters.

Chapter 4: The Trial of Endurance

Harrison let the competitors enter the elevator first, and then made his way in, pressing the "close" button. The doors slid shut.

"This trial will take place on the top-most floor of the dome," He said conversationally. "Each of you will be sent to a specific door, and then the trial will begin. There will be no spectators this trial, but the other contestants will be able to view your progress via T.V. screen."

Eldon half listened as he looked through the glass window. All he saw was that he was moving up into the sky and that the forest and the sea were beneath him. After twenty fifteen-foot high floors*, the elevator pinged and the doors slid open. Harrison coughed slightly and led the group of people outside to a circular hall. The hall was curved and stretched to the length of half a semi-circle. On each of the walls were doors spread wide apart, and they were labeled 1-5.

Harrison broke the silence once more. "Behind these doors is a naturally planted ecosystem, and in the very middle is a high mountain. Whoever is able to reach the peak first is granted 100 points on a scale of 0-100. The people before that person will be graded on their skills and endurance. Each one of you will be given…" Harrison paused for a quick moment, fishing out five black bands. "These. There are slots on each of these bands for you to place your Pokeballs, and they are very high-tech. All you need to do is to call out your Pokemon's name, and they will pop out automatically to help you." He handed one each to John, Megan, Alex, Markus, and Eldon, and he waited for them to strap them on. "There will be many obstacles along the way, and you will need your Pokemon to assist you. There are only two rules throughout the whole trial. One, you are only allowed to choose three of your Pokemon, no flying Pokemon are allowed. Two, you may have all three of your Pokemon with you in the end, but you are only allowed to send out one Pokemon per obstacle. Any questions?"

"Yeah," Megan said. "Is there a time limit?"

"No," Harrison replied. "You may have all the time you want."

"And are there only three obstacles?" Markus asked.

"Nope," Harrison answered again. "There are many more… So, I'll give you time to choose your Pokemon, and then we'll begin."

Eldon thought carefully, and he selected his Weavile, Porygon-Z, and Jolteon. With that, he placed his Pokemon onto the slots of his band, where they fit perfectly with a click.

"Done," Eldon said, and pretty soon, there were more choruses of "Done."

"Perfect," Harrison said with a smile. "John, Door 1, Megan, 2, Alex, 3, Markus, 4, and Eldon, 5."

Everyone took their places.

"Get ready…" Harrison said slowly.

Eldon took a deep breath.

"Begin!"

The door slid open and he charged in with full speed. At first, all he could see was that he was in a very large and realistic tropical forest. There were many noises from wild Pokemon, but he couldn't see any mountain. But suddenly, there was a large creaking sound. He looked up, and saw the curved ceiling of the dome slowly open up to show a sunset streaked sky. That was when the rumbling began. It started from the ground, and then a small rocky hill started emerging through the ground. It kept on sliding up until it was a massive mountain, piercing the clouds. Eldon gaped at it, but kept on running towards the mountain. He was completely in the forest now, and he heard the sounds of a waterfall and the rushing of the river. But the canopy of the forest was so dense he couldn't even see where the mountain was, but he could hear the sounds of bird Pokemon chattering through the air. Three minutes had passed, and he was tired of running in the endless forest. There weren't any obstacles, as far as he could see.

Eldon had reached a small path in the forest, and decided to walk. All of a sudden, he heard a low growling sound. Frowning, he looked around to see the source of the noise, and finally, his eyes rested on the spot in front of him. A colossal boulder three times bigger than him was rolling at an unnatural speed towards him, and the growling noise was explosive now.

"No, no, no, no, NO!" Eldon yelled, dodging to his right side and running as fast as he could through the trees. Bird Pokemon squawked and flew through the air as he charged through whatever was in his way. But it didn't matter, the boulder had also changed direction and was now following him at two times the speed. Gasping, Eldon pointed his banded arm at the boulder and yelled, "Aira, Brick Break!"

Almost immediately, a red light zipped from one of the Pokeballs on the band and Aira appeared with a glowing claw, slamming it into the boulder, making it explode. Both Aira and Eldon were thrown backward into a small swampland with a big splash.

"Ow…" Eldon said, rubbing his forehead with a muddy hand, and smiled weakly at Aira who crouched up, sniffing the air.

"What's wrong?" Eldon asked, concerned. "I mean, we're safe now."

A low growling sound from beneath him interrupted him. Eldon made an expression as if to say, "Oh no, not again…"

He found himself rising up into the air, and he looked beneath him. He was now face to face with a humongous Feraligatr. And it was furious.

oOo

Markus Pearl was running as fast as he could with his fingers plugged into his ears while multiple Yanmega were chasing him. From his experience, Yanmega's wing generations were incredibly harmful to the ears and internal organs if listened to, so he was running with all his might, for fear of the damage. The Yanmega were also moving too fast, so he didn't have time to send out a single Pokemon. As he was cursing quietly to himself, a Glaceon dropped down from the trees, Ice Beaming the group of Yanmega, causing them to all freeze up. A second later, Alex jumped down from the trees, and glanced at the ice cube full of Yanmega.

"Wow, that was close," Alex commented. "The ice cube won't hold on for long, let's go."

"Wait," Markus interrupted her. "I think I've found the way to the mountain. It's the path I was running from, and over there I accidentally ran into their nest." He indicated the frozen block of Yanmega.

"Okay," Alex replied gratefully. "What're we waiting for then?"

oOo

Megan Rayme was walking with her Lucario cautiously across a narrow path between two faces of rock, and she was pretty sure it led to the mountain. Just a few minutes ago, she narrowly escaped falling into a deep ditch layered with broken bamboo. The complete silence was now making her even more cautious, so she consulted her Lucario.

"Vera, do you sense any danger?"

"Lu-Lucario…" She answered, shaking her head. _Not that I know of…_

"Okay," She answered, and the stone faces of wall ended at a rocky archway. "I just have a bad feeling about this…"

The archway exploded.

oOo

"Aw crap! Aw friggin' crap, holy crap, crap, crap, crap, crap, crap…"John was dodging small jagged rocks that repeatedly fell from the cliff-face he was beside. Taking a split second chance, he aimed his banded arm at the rocks and yelled, "Savior, Waterfall!"

A jet of red light sped from John's arm, and within one second and a flash of blue, all of the rocks had shattered.

"Thanks, Savior," He said, breathing a sigh of relief. Savior climbed onto his shoulder and the two of them looked up. A long flight of stone steps awaited them, looming into thesky.

"If the mountain's base is already in the clouds, then I don't know how we'll ever get to the peak. We'll need oxygen masks…"

Darkness had fallen. It was already night.

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Wow, that was a bit fun to write, and also a bit hard. Well, tell me what you thought about it! R&R…


	6. Paths to Victory

I hope none of these delays ever happen again, and I'll be able to stay on schedule next time. Thank you all for your reviews. I hope you enjoy.

* * *

**The Power Trials:**

**Chapter 5: The Paths to Victory**

The air was thin and cool, and light breezes of wind were blowing through the air. The sky was already dark, and it was already eight o' clock. The lobby of the Power Stadium was still and silent, with only the ceiling lights sending off a bright glow. In one small corner of the large room was a wide double door with green letters etched onto it.

_Theater Room_

The theater room was the only place in the Power Stadium at that moment that had people inside. It was large and circular, with a large screen filling up the whole front of the room. Rows of seats were lined up in curves towards the back where the double door was, but the only rows taken were the front two. But some of the people were already leaving.

The room was dim and the only source of light was from the screen, which was split into five big sections that viewed the challengers of the first trial. The double door opened as Alan Harrison stepped in, closing the door.

"Don't think you know all the obstacles and where to go now," He called out, leaning against a wall. "The ecosystem is split into five hundred and one sections around the mountain, with one free section for movement. When the next group goes in, the sections slide around, kind of like a mosaic. You have no chance of memorizing where to go."

He opened the door and switched on the lights. "You will need to have dinner right now. There's a restaurant right here in the lobby."

o0o

Eldon was running as fast as he could towards a rocky archway with Ara as the Feraligatr sped after them on all fours. Ara was already a few paces in front of Eldon, and was dashing nimbly along.

"Ara!" Eldon cried out, half panting. "You mind attacking that Feraligatr now since you're so fast? Try jumping on that archway over there and using Night Slash!"

The Weavile jumped high onto the archway when the Feraligatr suddenly stopped. A ball of water swirled in its throat, then streaking out and connecting with the archway with a loud explosion. Ara jumped up just in time into to avoid the attack, and the Feraligatr looked up to see Ara surrounded by a full moon in the night sky. Her right claw was swirling with dark energy. There was a quick sound of rushing wind as Ara struck twice through the air, the claws connecting with Feraligatr's jaw, causing him to crash into the ground with a swirl of dust.

"I think I'm supposed to send out my second Pokemon now, though Feraligatr looks like it's already fainted." Eldon pointed his arm at the ground. "Ah well. Best be careful. Jolt!"

The Jolteon appeared with a flash of light, electric sparks dancing along his fur, and growled at the Feraligatr. It staggered up slowly, an eerie blue light now glowing from its skin.

"Oh, crap. He has his ability worked up now…" Eldon muttered. The Feraligatr began charging at them at twofold its normal speed.

"Run!" He yelled, and ran through the remains of the archway, not knowing that he was about to create a massive battle…

oOo

Markus and Alex were walking contentedly towards the mountain's base, Alex's Glaceon trudging along behind them.

"Ah…" Markus had his hands behind his head, and he breathed in the cool air. "This is awesome. And we're nearly there! We're obviously gonna win this, and there's no obstacles so far!"

As if to answer his words, a deep rumbling sound rung through the air. Markus frowned.

"What was that?"

A large rock formation split out of the ground from beneath him, jutting into the air and tearing across his right foot, splitting open his shoe. Yelping, he jumped backwards and aimed his banded arm at a random direction.

"Sarah!" He called out. An Empoleon appeared in a flash of light, screeching into the air and shaking her wings.

Multiple rock spears of different heights began emerging from the ground with small explosions of dust. After a few moments, they were soon surrounded by rock formations. Standing back to back, Alex and Markus stood silently, their Pokemon beside them and in battle-ready positions. A low wrenching sound was now shaking the ground around them, and a few rock spears collapsed and fell. The ground around them began glowing white with heat, cracking and sizzling. A large glowing silver sphere with spikes upon it began rising from the ground.

oOo

Megan jumped aside as the explosion buzzed through the air in a large white bubble, vaporizing everything in its path. Crouching low with her Lucario, she waited for the smoke to clear. A shadow could be seen rising from the ground, and both Megan and Vera assumed battle stances. It was a massive male Hippowdon, torrents of sand gushing from holes on top of his back.

Megan rushed forward and jumped on top of the Hippowdon who was still slowly rising out of the ground, and swung her fist at the Hippowdon's stomach. "Blade!"

A Gallade flashed into view, and Megan motioned for Vera to come towards her. "It's best if we have three. This guy looks strong. Blade, mind lighting up the sky with your psychic energies? I can't see properly."

Blade nodded and swung his fist into the air, generating a large purple sphere. The area lit up slightly to show that they were in a large circular battlefield surrounded by rocky walls, with two more archways, one on their opposite, and one to their right.

"Wow," Megan muttered, turning back towards the unmoving Hippowdon. "This guy's not doing anything."

Without warning, the archway on the other side exploded, and a yell pierced through the air. Eldon came running in, and he skid to a halt as he looked back to see that the Feraligatr had stopped. Two roars of anger boomed through the air as the Feraligatr and Hippowdon charged towards each other, locked in a ferocious battle. The Feraligatr unleashed torrent after torrent of water while the Hippowdon protected himself with veils of sand, then lashing out with Earthquakes.

"Epic," Eldon said self-consciously, and then gestured at his Pokemon. "C'mon, we don't have all day." Together they walked through the archway, and Eldon stopped with a start. The archway was split into two different paths that headed up. He frowned, and consulted his Pokemon. "What do you guys think, which path should I take?"

Ara shrugged and pointed at the path on the right side, while Jolt nodded towards the left one.

Megan ran forward with Vera and Blade following closely behind, and stopped at the fork in front of the archway, and pointed to the path on the left side. "I'm taking this one," She told Eldon.

"Ok," Eldon said. "Then I'll take the right one."

Both challengers ran forward on their respective paths.

oOo

"Nine-hundred and ninety-nine…" John and his Azumarill were dragging their feet forward through the stairs, until John suddenly stopped with a jolt, wiping the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand.

"What the… This is the one-thousandth step… and there's nothing in front of it?" He was standing in front of a small cliff, and taking a risk, he craned his neck slightly over so he could see the bottom. Beyond a wide chasm on the other side was the mountain, looming ominously in the night sky.

"I think this is the wrong way, eh, Savi…OR!" John broke off as a sudden gust of wind blew him and Azuvio off their feet, causing them to plummet into the seemingly bottomless chasm.

"Yaaarrrgggh! Aqua Jet me to the other side!" Savior grabbed hold of John and a pillar of water surrounded both of them as they sped towards the side of the chasm. John grabbed hold of one of the rocks and told Savior to climb onto his shoulder. Clinging on with all his strength, he managed to rasp, "Absol…cling on for us please…"

A flash of light appeared, and John felt himself grabbing onto hard bone and fur instead of rock. "Thanks, Shadow," He muttered. "Now see if you can get us down, I think there's a platform."

Slowly Absol went down, and they dropped down onto a narrow rocky platform. Before them was a long, dark tunnel.

o0o

Back in the theater room, everybody had finished their meals. A tall boy in casual clothing spoke up. "So when do we start our trial?"

"Ah," Harrison said. "Tomorrow, which is also the resting day for this group you're watching now. Tomorrow's trial will also have ten people instead of five, because of timing reasons."

Another voice spoke up, and this time it was a thirteen year old girl in traveling clothes. "So is it going to be harder?"

"You'll see for yourself, but soon on after in the second trial, many people will leave. Then all the trials will be with the same group," Harrison replied.

"Will leave?"

Harrison suddenly stood up from his seat. "Uh… no more questions. I'll see you tomorrow."

He walked quickly out of the room, and a few people shrugged.

oOo

The light breezes were forming into cold gales of wind, and the air was icy and dry. Leaves could be seen swirling around in mini tornadoes. It was nine o' clock.

* * *

Oh yeah, the two people I mentioned were Aiden and Lindsay Skies. R&R please.


	7. The Final Tests

Hi people. In case you guys haven't noticed, I've updated three weeks ago, and I was waiting for someone to review. Probably nobody noticed, because I replaced my "Important Notice" with it. Since I haven't updated for a LONG time, I tried to make this chapter longer than usual and better. Anyhow, I hope you enjoy.

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**The Power Trials:**

**Chapter 6: The Final Tests**

The path Eldon had taken was obviously wrong, as he had been running straight on for nearly half an hour. He panted, his heart pounding as sweat trickled down his forehead and sunk into the hard dirt beneath him. He immediately stopped his running, and glanced to his right. His Weavile, Ara, had collapsed. _This is a death sentence! _He thought, staring up at the forbidding mountain that loomed before him, it's peak plunging into the clouds. Sucking in a last gulp of breath, he gasped and fell to the ground, unconscious.

Jolt stopped and nudged Eldon with his snout, and sighed. Putting his paws over Eldon's back, he released a weak jolt of electricity from his paws, causing Eldon to jump

abruptly back up.

"Thanks, Jolt," Eldon smiled gratefully at his Jolteon and went over to Ara. The Weavile crawled up slowly, and staggered for a few moments before standing straight. Together the three looked forward. A large stone door could be seen in the distance, shaped like a semi circle at the base of the mountain.

"C'mon, let's go!" Eldon yelled, and they ran towards the stone door. As they reached the door, Eldon was able to look at it more closely. Embedded in the door in a triangular formation, three glass orbs were spread wide apart. The top one contained a leaf, the bottom left a feather, and the bottom right an orb of water.

"What does it mean?" Eldon asked aloud. Both of his Pokemon shook their heads.

Reaching his hand out, he circled his finger around each of the orbs. All of them were icy cold…

_Cold… cold… _Eldon thought deeply, slowly lowering his hand. _You need heat to take away cold… heat… heat! _Eldon eyed the leaf and the feather.

"Fire and Ice!" He yelled triumphantly, and then pointed at the water. "And the final one, electricity!" Throwing his right arm towards the door, he called out, "Hyper-Unit!"

The Porygon-Z flashed into view, zipping around and chattering to no one in particular.

"Hyper-Unit, I need you to Tri Attack those orb, and direct each of your blasts toward each weakness! That is, fire to the leaf, electricity to the water, and ice to the feather!"

Hyper-Unit swung his arms together, and slowly spread them apart, generating a revolving ball of white energy. Throwing them down, the energy ball split into three torrents of energy, one red, one blue, and one yellow, and they hit each of the orbs. The stone door began shaking rapidly, and cracks began forming slowly around the glass.

A few minutes had passed, and Eldon knew that the force was not enough. "Ara, use your ice powers and send a beam over on the feather! Jolt! Thunderbolt the water, and Hyper-Unit, focus mainly on your fire energy!"

Together the three energy beams shattered the glass orbs almost immediately, and the door began cracking around the glassless holes. Soon the stone crumbled away, and a triangular doorway was formed.

Eldon and his Pokemon stepped in.

oOo

"What the…" Alex stepped back cautiously as a huge Steelix rose from the cracked earth, each of the cracks glowing red. The Steelix was also radiating red with heat, like a long beacon in the night sky, and it was blocking their only path up the mountain. Growling menacingly, the Steelix lunged forward and screeched down at Sarah, causing her to cover her ears with her claws.

"Her defense fell…" Markus said, slowly taking his hands away from his ears. Pointing up at Steelix's head, he yelled, "Sarah! Hydro Pump its head!"

Sarah screeched back at the Steelix fearlessly, and a torrent of clear water plunged out of her beak. It never reached Steelix. Every time the water drew near Steelix's face, it evaporated into waves of steam, creating a dense fog.

"Stop, Sarah!" Markus called out, and turned to Alex. "That guy's been tempered by the heat from underground. We need to cool him down first before I can attack him."

"Got it," Alex replied, and yelled, "Water, Snow, Ice Beam that Steelix!"

Water the Floatzel appeared in a flash of light, and both Water and Snow unleashed twin blasts of ice energy at the Steelix, occasionally freezing the fog and causing it to shatter on the ground. Slowly, the red around its body disappeared, and Steelix howled in agony.

"Stop, guys," Alex said, raising her right hand.

"Alright Sarah, Hydro Pump it!" Markus called out.

Sarah unleashed another torrent of water at the Steelix's head, causing it to growl and dive back into the ground.

"Phew," Markus said, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand.

"Yeah," Alex replied. "That was a close call. C'mon, let's go."

Together the small group began trudging around the mountain in the spiraled path, the peak drawing nearer to them every minute.

oOo

"Woah…" Megan exclaimed, staring at the massive waterfall cascading before her, the noise booming in her ears. It plunged up into the sky, and it wasn't possible to see what was above the waterfall. Only one Pokemon could help her now.

"Jello!" The Gastrodon popped out into the water, looking at Megan.

"Okay, we need to get up that waterfall, and I need your help," With these words, Megan jumped into the water, grabbing Jello's back spikes.

"Brrr…" Megan muttered. "The water's freezing…"

Jello lurched his head forward, awaiting Megan's command.

"Okay," Megan said, turning to Blade and Vera. "You guys should be able to climb up the sides. If there's any trouble, I'd appreciate it if you'd help me. Alright Jello, let's go!"

The pair sped forward through the small lake, and Jello began speeding up the waterfall, Megan grabbing on as hard as she could as waves of water clashed against her face.

A low growl rumbled beneath the waterfall, and a Gyarados jumped out of the water, its gaping mouth reaching for the pair. Jello tried not to notice and concentrated on getting up the waterfall. But he didn't need to care. Vera, who was climbing on the right side of the waterfall, jumped forward and punched the Gyarados in the face. The Gyarados crashed into the lake below with a large splash, and Vera landed safely on the left side, where Blade was climbing.

They were almost near the top, but two massive Gyarados jumped out of the water, threatening to swallow Megan and Jello. This time, it was Blade that jumped forward to attack, but he wasn't so lucky. The two Gyarados wrapped hold of him and the three plunged into the water.

"Blade!" Megan yelled out into the rushing wind, and her voice sounded small.

She didn't need to worry, and in a flash of purple light, Blade jumped out of the water, fist raised, as the two Gyarados fell apart and crashed into the water. Jello angled his body forward into a small pond, and Megan crawled back on shore, where Vera and Blade awaited her.

"I was lucky to have chosen you," Megan smiled, patting Jello on the back. Standing up, she examined her surroundings. They were on a wide plateau overlooking the whole ecosystem. She looked up. "Well, that's the peak. I guess we're nearly there."

oOo

John stumbled forward into the tunnel, which was pitch-black.

"Chickendude…" He whispered, and a tall Blaziken appeared in a flash of light.

"Light up a fire with your hands." Chickendude raised up his right hand, and a ball of fire, illuminating the long tunnel. It seemed as if it was never-ending. The group ran forward through the tunnel, but an eerie screech stopped them.

"What was that?" John asked. He didn't need to be answered. As if on cue, a whole group of Golbat flew towards them, slashing and scratching.

"Aargh!" John yelled, protecting his head with his arm. "Chickendude, see if you can Fire Punch them away!"

He didn't need to be asked twice. Roaring into the air and fire swirling around his wrists, he swung them around, crashing his fists into each of the Golbat, batting them away. The roof of the cave began shaking, and rocks crashed down from the walls and the roof.

"Wow!" John rasped, coughing through the dust. "I think we destroyed the cave."

Then, he paused. "Well that might've been a good thing."

The peak of the mountain was just some twenty feet above them.

oOo

Smiling, a hand tapped in the darkness. "It is time."

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Note to Fire Drastar: I know you put Surf as one of Jello's moves, but I replaced it with Waterfall. I mean, you can hardly imagine a water Pokemon only being able to swim if it has Surf in real life.

R&R, please, and the next chapter will end the the first trial saga.


	8. Ghosts in the Dark

Hey guys. This chapter will be a Halloween special, and will probably be longer than usual. Thank you Fire Drastar and Yereton for reviewing. I hope you enjoy.

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**The Power Trials**

**Chapter Seven: Ghosts in the Dark**

The triangular doorway led Eldon and his Pokemon through a one way series of twists and turns through a dark cave, and ended where a large hole was directly facing the sky.

"Phew," Eldon exclaimed happily. "I guess this is it!" Putting his hands over the edge and hauling himself up, he breathed in the fresh cool air. Scanning his surroundings, he found that he was on a large platform with a small rock in the middle. Two people were already there on the edge of the platform.

"Hey!" Eldon called out. "What's on that rock?"

Two voices answered him through the dark, and a male voice greeted him first. "Some sorta… uh…"

"I dunno, we have to go and see, don't we?" A female voice called out this time.

This time, two other people could be seen pulling themselves up the platform, one of them dragging their feet up a pair of stairs.

"Aw, that was tiring," A male voice muttered. It was John.

Megan flipped herself over on the platform and sighed, looking around at the others.

"So… what're we supposed to do?"

"I dunno, get what's on the rock I suppose?" John replied.

"Okay!" Markus said, shifting his feet into a running stance. "On the count of three, we all charge forward and get whatever the heck is on that rock."

"Suits me," Eldon shrugged.

"One…Two… THREE!" Markus's voice rang through the air, loud and clear.

Eldon ran forward as fast as he could, every muscle in his legs straining.

That was when the scream came. It was high-pitched, and hit everyone like a bullet. Doubling over, Eldon held his pulsing forehead and saw everyone else staggering to the ground and doing the same…

_It is time…_

_Darkness…_

_Oh by golly, Eldon, you've got your first Pokemon! Isn't he cute… _

Silence. Eldon found himself in a large flowery meadow. He felt himself reaching his legs out, dancing forward, like a ballerina, a ballerina, a ballerina…

_Unleash the force. _This voice was gruff and booming.

This time, Eldon found himself sitting in a closed cell, with many other people beside him. They were…

_Save me!_

"Aaaah!" Eldon felt himself being thrown backwards, sliding back through the platform. Hefting himself up, he found his Pokemon beside him, swaying from side to side.

"What was that?" Eldon asked, rubbing his forehead in pain. He discovered that all the others were also pushing themselves up from the ground.

"I dunno…" John answered. "Something is preventing us from reaching that rock."

"Another obstacle?" Alex asked. "I haven't used my third Pokemon yet, and Markus hasn't even sent out his second."

"Well, we'll have to go through it again before we can figure out what the problem is, right?" Megan suggested.

Everybody agreed at her logic and charged towards the rock once again. The scream hit like a lightning bolt this time, breaking the night sky.

_Tormenting…Tormenting…Tormenting…_

Eldon was sitting in a dark cave beside a pool of shimmering blue water. The voice echoed again…

_Save me!_

Eldon stepped back immediately, before he could be tormented again.

"Guys!" Eldon called out, breaking the silence. "I think it has something to do with the scream! Everytime we have hallucinations, the scream happens before that!"

"Then that means we need to find someway to shield us from the scream," Megan called back.

"We'll need our Pokemon's voices to shield us from the scream, so I guess we need all our Pokemon's help," Alex suggested. "White!"

The Shiny Togekiss appeared in a flash of light, singing cheerfully.

Markus nodded, accepting this situation.

"Rex!" The Arcanine appeared, roaring into the night sky. "Now that's called a booming voice!"

"Ok, so on the count of three, we charge towards the rock while our Pokemon yell," John called out. "One, two, three!"

The group of people charged forward, the sounds of all their Pokemon mingling into one powerful roar, blocking out the scream completely. Eldon's hand was nearing the rock, and he saw the glimmer of a blue stone…

A black shadow streaked down from the sky, hitting Eldon in the chest, throwing him backwards, and continued to strike everyone else while it streaking through the sky. Everyone struggled on the ground, clutching where they were hit. Eldon looked up to see the figure clearly, a sinister purple glow around it. It seemed like it wore a wide hat around its head, and a tattered dress like shape flowed below its waist. The head turned to face Eldon, its mouth zigzagged across its plain features, yellow eyes boring into Eldon.

"Mis-Mismagius…" Eldon barely whispered.

"Alright, it's your turn, Dark!" Markus had taken action and an equally shadowy bird flew through the air towards the Mismagius. Raising his head at the Mismagius, the two eyed each other grimly. "Honchkrow," He muttered slowly.

Eldon stood up and called to his Weavile. "Alright, Ara-"

"No." Markus said firmly. "Once Dark is angry, it's his battle. Night Slash!"

Their was a flash of shadows as Dark hit the Mismagius, another shrill shriek piercing the sky. Staggering a bit in the sky, the Mismagius eyed the Honchkrow warily and turned away, wafting into the night sky.

"That was amazing…" John muttered, edging closer to the rock.

Even Markus seemed surprised himself. "Wow."

All of a sudden, a happy yell broke the silence. "I got the sapphire!" John called out, doing a happy dance by throwing his arms around.

Almost immediately, a large white helicopter hovered down to the platform. Alan Harrison could be seen holding his arm out through the empty doorway.

"Congratulations," He called out. "C'mon everyone, hop in! You'll get your points tomorrow at your free day, when the other group is also finished! Also John, put the sapphire back, the group tomorrow needs it."

oOo

It was late afternoon and a bright, sunny day. Eldon, John, Megan, Alex, and Markus were stretched out on the lobby sofas, bathing in the sunlight, though it was the end of October.

"Ah…" John said, stretching his arms as he played with his DS Lite. "This is the life."

"Ok," Markus said with his head on his right hand, sitting with a bored expression on his face. For the whole day he was saying the same thing to everyone.

"Cheer up," Alex muttered, who also looked slightly bored.

"You guys do know it's Halloween today, right?" Megan said, breaking the silence.

"Yeah," Alex replied. "But we eighteen-year olds don't actually celebrate it."

"Why not?" Eldon asked. "It's fun. Well I mean, trick or treating. I think."

Suddenly, the plasma screen in the lobby flickered on. A large scoreboard could be shown, with Harrison's voice speaking.

"Taking first place would be John, with 97 points. Second is Markus with 96.5, Alex with 96, Megan takes fourth with 95 points, and Eldon takes fifth with a close score of 94.5 points. Oh, and by the way guys. Happy Halloween."

Eldon sighed, looking out of the window.

The automatic doors slid open, welcoming in a large amount of chattering and groaning.

"Aw…" John said, turning off his DS. "Peace and quiet was good."

Several people went directly back to their dorms, some sitting down at the conference table while a few plopped themselves on the sofas.

They were three girls and one boy.

"Hi," The youngest of the three girls said, who was dressed in traveling clothes and had dark blonde hair. "I'm Lindsay Skies."

"Uh, I'm Evelyn," This girl was dressed in plain clothes, with waist length hair dyed green.

"I'm Aiden," The boy with short hair sat back, rolling his eyes.

"And I'm Olivia Belldorm," This girl was the oldest of the three, already a woman. She also had waist length hair and wore clothes of contrasting colors.

The other five stared at them for a few minutes before Markus broke the silence. "Uh… Was that introduction planned or something?"

"Probably", Aiden said, standing up. "I didn't like the first trial, and I'm going to go to sleep. I'll wake up just in time for trick or treating."

The rest of the people looked at each other.

oOo

Wind was blowing through the dark night sky outside, but inside the dorms, the whole lobby was bustling with activity. People were introduced to a special Halloween shop in the Stadium lobby, and there they bought small packets of candy and different assortments of masks.

The dormitory lobby was filled with people eating candy and chatting, while the fun-loving ones went trick or treating under different masks to each of the dormitories. Eldon had decided to join in the fun. Equipped with an Ursaring mask and a paper bag, Eldon started at the first floor. Knocking the first door, he waited for a few moments, shuffling his feet. The door slid open, revealing a burly fifteen year old with a buzz cut and a surly face. He wore a black t-shirt that had a skull on it, and sported a pair of brown cargo pants.

"Trick r' treat," Eldon said warily.

The boy scowled, emphasizing each word slowly. "I. Don't. Give. Candy."

Eldon smiled hesitantly. "Oh. Uh… Guess I'd better get going."

The night wore on, and soon Eldon had a sizable amount of candy in his paper bag. Sitting down on one of the armchairs, Eldon unwrapped a few of his sweets. He was soon joined by John, who hid behind the back sofa, laughing nervously.

"What happened?" Eldon asked curiously.

"Ahaha… uh… you know the first floor? I started on the second. Anyhow, when I reached the first room on the first floor, the door slid open and this emo with a pair of huge ass chains came lumbering out! Freaking scary."

Eldon laughed. "I met him too, I guess he was tired of people knocking on his door. I wonder if he's good at battling."

"Who cares?" John asked, standing up from behind the sofa. "He can whoop anyone with those chains!"

The night drew on, and people stayed up late in the lobby, a few people watching T.V. The bustle didn't end until eleven, and Eldon was tired of eating his candy. Walking up the stairs to the second floor, he crossed John's room towards his own. Then he stopped. Something wasn't right. Walking back again, he found that John's door was open, while John was back in the lobby.

Hesitating and taking out Ara's Pokeball, Eldon slowly stepped in.

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Wow, that was one of the longest chapters I've ever written. Well, tell me what you thought about it and R&R! Also, due to lack of character ideas, I'm still accepting OC's, but since I have a limited amount I can use, I'll only choose some. Happy Halloween!


	9. Through the Inferno

Thank you all for reviewing, and I hope you enjoy this chapter, where we will be beginning the saga of the second trial. But first we will start up from where we left off. I hope you enjoy.

* * *

**The Power Trials**

**Chapter 8: Through the Inferno**

A sudden whirring sound came from inside the dark room, causing Eldon to flinch and tighten his grip on Ara's Pokeball. With the help of the hall lights, he reached up his hand and pressed the light switch. The lights didn't turn on. Cautiously, he edged further, the whirring sound growing louder every second.

His eyes began adjusting to the darkness slowly, and as Eldon moved towards the bed, he spotted a shadow on the balcony, working on something. He stopped. Eldon froze, fear crawling over him. The shadow turned to face him, the dark of the night clouding his face. In a flash of red light, the shadow was away in the sky, the lights in the room suddenly switching on.

Eldon took action. Pressing the button on his Pokeball to enlarge it, he yelled out into the sky. "Come back here!"

Ara appeared in a ray of red light, brandishing her claws and looking up at the sky. The shadow was long gone. But many questions were still in Eldon's mind as he stared into the darkness.

A loud shout broke the silence. "Hey, Eldon! What're you doing in my room?"

Eldon turned to face the voice, which belonged to a questioning John.

"Your door was open," Eldon stated, pointing towards the balcony. "This weird guy was there, working on something."

John stared at him for a few moments before his face lit up. "Oh! Remember that day when I was about to tell you something?" He began walking towards the balcony, and motioned for Eldon and Ara to follow him.

Frowning for a few moments, he began muttering. "What the frick? It was there yesterday…"

The balcony they were on was floor spread in marble tiles, the area around them covered with glass panes. To the left was a plain gray wall, and further ahead was the next person's room. Right on the left of John's balcony was a circular indent. This was where John put his hand on. He spoke up.

"You see this circle thingy over here? It's where a large golden Pokeball was before. The first day we came here, I fiddled with this thing and suddenly, the whole wall over here…" He indicated the area above the circle with his hands. "Slid to one side, like a door. Then there was this hallway behind it. I guess the dude you were talking about somehow took away the Pokeball."

Eldon stared at him. "Did you go inside?"

John shrugged. "Nope." Then he grinned. "I value my life."

oOo

The rest of the night passed on slowly as Eldon went to bed, troubled thoughts passing through his mind. He couldn't help feeling unsecure if some person could enter his room. He eventually fell asleep though, and was awakened at 9:00 to the sound of the loudspeaker blaring through his room.

**All contestants report to the Stadium immediately. Breakfast will be held in the main lobby.**

Quickly changing his clothes and brushing his teeth, while running a wet towel over his face, he grabbed his belt of Pokeballs and ran out the door.

oOo

After breakfast in one of the mini restaurants, the lobby was packed with different people of all ages entering the elevators. Surprised, Eldon struggled his way through the crowd of people towards the group of sixteen people huddled together around Harrison. He arrived just in time to hear his first words.

"Now you may be wondering why the lobby is so filled with people today," Harrison started off with a shining smile. "Today is the day of the SECOND trial, the Trial of Force. This trial is a standard battle tournament, and there will be preliminaries, semifinals, finals, and the final battle. Hundreds of thousands of people will be watching you today, all from all over the world."

At this, much chattering arose, some saying how they were excellent at battling.

Harrison raised his right hand with a solemn face. "But…" He stopped for effect, as the chattering stopped abruptly.

"There is a catch. Each battle stage, for example preliminaries, et cetera, will have a special stylized battle stadium. Many strange things will happen when you are battling, and they may harm you, or you can use them for a strategy. The tournament listing will be right over on your right. You are free to check."

The crowd of people moved on towards the direction, where a large chart was shown on a plasma screen. This was what it showed:

Preliminaries:

10:00am-10:15am) Bryce Ritz, Eldon Silver

10:15am-10:30am) Ty Carlson, Aiden Dasopatis

10:30am-10:45am) Lindsay Skies, Patali Rabora

10:45am-11:00am) Megan Rayme, Evelyn Tirene

11:00am-11:15am) Olivia Belldorm, Markus Pearl

11:15am-11:30am) Alessandra Cesarini, Wade Jones

11:45am-12:00pm) John Ocat, Chris Hanoski

12:00pm-12:15pm) Mastin Askuron, Ashara Odalion

A gruff voice interrupted Eldon as he scanned through the list.

"Guess it's just me and you then eh, Silver?"

Eldon turned and found himself looking at the chest of a large boy. Looking up, he recognized the same surly face and buzz cut from before. This time he was wearing a plain black t-shirt and brown combat pants, two large metal chains coiled around his Pokeball belt.

"Oh, so you're Bryce?" Eldon asked, reaching out his hand. "Nice to meet you."

Bryce eyed the hand as if it was something dirty, and turned away, pushing past the crowd of people.

"See you in battle, punk."

_10:00am_

Eldon and Bryce were directed towards the once "secret" third elevator to the right, and they went in respectively, followed by Harrison.

"We are only going to the second floor," He explained. "The stadium is right in the middle, and the top parts are opened up, exposing the sky. Both of you will go to different sides of the stadium. Eldon, blue corner. Bryce, red corner. Both sides will be clearly highlighted."

The elevator pinged and the doors slid open, revealing a large semicircle hallway like before. Eldon went on the right where there was a blue sign, and Bryce went to the left.

"I wish you luck," Harrison said.

As Eldon pushed the heavy door slowly open, a great rushing wind buffeted him. He could fully experience the cold, and teeth chattering, he stepped outside under the blue skies and bright sunlight.

The stadium was massive. Nearly the size of three standard soccer fields put together, the floor was rocky and rough, which not a very nice battlefield in Eldon's opinion. On Eldon's right, situated in a very far corner of the stadium, was a low, fenced area. An official standing beside it motioned for Eldon to come over. The fenced off area revealed a metal gate, which Eldon opened smoothly and entered. The official locked the gate, much to Eldon's surprise, but the fence was only up to his waist.

"It's to keep you from falling," The official stated, stepping back. Before Eldon could ask any questions, Harrison's voice boomed through the stadium.

"Good morning ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to The Power Trials, the first preliminary match!"

The audience clapped and cheered, the noise deafening in Eldon's ears. He wasn't used to so many people.

"From the red corner, let's welcome Bryce Ritz, from Sinnoh's Eterna City! He is well-known around the world for his teaching of whip techniques to his Pokemon, and is ranked fourteenth in the world!"

The audienced roared, some shouting, "Sock 'im, Ritz!"

Harrison continued. "From the Blue Corner, let's welcome young Eldon Silver from Johto's New Bark Town! Though he is not as well known as Ritz, he is a good battler and well-known for his well thought out strategies!"

The audience cheered, claps erupting through the air. Eldon didn't know so many people supported him.

"This battle will be a one on one battle, and will each trainer please choose out their Pokemon. Now, without further ado, let this battle begin!"

Eldon had just taken out his Vaporeon's Pokeball when the ground began rumbling beneath him. Stumbling to the ground, the platform he was on began rising steadily, higher and higher.

Soon the rising stopped, and he was high up into the air, about thirty feet into the sky. Now Eldon knew what the official was talking about. If he grew to excited anytime during the match, he might fall off if not for the waist high metal fence around him.

A loud crack in the air broke his thoughts, and he barely made out Bryce cracking one of his chains. From the point of the chain, a red streak of light hurtled through the air and onto the ground.

The shape grew larger, a massive blue bubble with dozens of tentacles reaching out from underneath, his dark eyes piercing through the battlefield. The two red orbs on his head shone in the bright sunlight.

"Meet Rampage, my Tentacruel!" Bryce yelled over the breeze. "Feel like dying, punk?"

Eldon raised Lutra's Pokeball to the heavens, pressing the white button in the middle. "Not at all."

The female Vaporeon appeared on the field smiling, stretching her many fins. Rampage glared at her, his many tentacles twirling around rapidly.

After quickly scanning his surroundings, Eldon called out his order.

"Hidden Power, Lutra!"

"Swords Dance, Rampage!" Bryce yelled, taking out his second chain and cracking it through the air.

Lutra stood her ground and dug her feet into the hard dirt. Swishing her head from side to side, a pulsing yellow orb appeared around her. Rampage began raising his lethal tentacles, a faint red aura of light forming around him. That was when he was hit by Lutra's Hidden Power. All five of the yellow orbs that shot out from Lutra's body slammed into him, crackling where they hit, causing Rampage to crash to the ground in pain, electric sparks dancing across his body.

"What just happened?" Bryce asked in shock.

"My Vaporeon's Hidden Power is electric," Eldon called out. "I'm careful with my move typing."

Bryce growled. "It doesn't matter. Rampage, use Poison Whip!"

Eldon's face grew puzzled. "Poison Whip? What kind of attack is that?"

"You'll see," Bryce answered smugly.

Rampage floated back up again, all of his tentacles bundling up into one long one, glowing with purple energy.

"Dodge!" Eldon called out in shock.

Rampage whipped his tentacles down at Lutra, who barely avoided the attack by jumping aside. The tentacles slammed into the ground, creating a colossal explosion, waves of energy and bits of rocks flying through the air.

Both Pokemon were panting, exhausted by the fight.

"Whip her again, Rampage!" Bryce yelled.

"Lutra, try and use Hidden Power again!" Eldon called out.

Both Pokemon weren't moving, and Lutra had one paw up, sniffing the air.

"What're you doing, Rampage? Watch out or she's gonna attack you!"

A ring of fire erupted around the stadium. It was a blazing inferno of flames, searing the air around the two Pokemon, and the audience gasped and shouted with shock.

"_There is a catch. Each battle stage, for example preliminaries, et cetera, will have a special stylized battle stadium." A stylized battle stadium…_ Eldon thought, recalling Harrison's words. _Could this be it?_

"Well we're lucky that we both have water Pokemon, eh?" Eldon called out through the roar of the fire.

"Who cares?" Bryce yelled. "Rampage, you can get through the flames easily, whip her again!"

"Lutra, use Surf to wash the flames away!" Eldon ordered.

It was not the best choice. An orb of water appearing in Lutra's mouth, it spread out into a wide wave of water, streaking through all the fire and extinguishing them. They morphed into a dense steam, clouding up the whole arena.

There was a distant sound of the buildup of energy, and a squeal hit the air as bits and pieces of rock flew out of the steam.

The audience fell silent. Eldon clenched his fists, a trickle of sweat sliding down his face.

* * *

And that's all folks. =) The next chapter will feature every single person's battles, so don't worry, everyone'll be there. It'll be very long though. Tell me your thoughts on this chapter, everything is appreciated! Also, the confusing hallucinations from the previous chapter will play an important role in the future... Yeah, and with all that mumbo-jumbo, I hope you R&R.


	10. Of Ice and Fire

Thank you all very much for reviewing. Due to me being very busy during the past few weeks, and the fact that this chapter is uber long, this took quite a while. I hope you enjoy.

* * *

**The Power Trials**

**Chapter 9: Of Ice and Fire**

The hall was empty. It was long and the walls were plated with steel, a faint cold aura coming from every direction. _Isolation._

That was what Chris Hanoski felt as he stepped quickly along the hallway. He was a man of twenty, spiky brown hair jetting out from his head. A navy overcoat flowed behind him as he continued forward, each footstep hitting the ground softly. He reached a large, oaken door. Stretching his hand out in a fist, he knocked on it.

"Come in." The voice drawled out slowly from behind the mass as Chris pushed open the door to a large, furnished and antique room. 18th century furniture was scattered around, and a large, bald, man sat in the middle, stretched out on a plump leather armchair. He was looking out large, single paned window.

"Welcome, Chris. I am the chairman," He said formally, twisting around. His eyes were blank and emotionless, even though a fake smile was plastered on his face.

"You may know why I have asked you to come here," The Chairman continued, putting one leg leisurely over the other. "This is because everyone believes that you are one of the three legendary psychics of the world, one of the Psi. But… how can I be sure that is true?"

Chris shrugged. "What would you like me to do?"

"I don't know," The Chairman replied a matter-of-factly. "Something big, powerful. Something exciting."

"Like this?" Chris asked, and he put two fingers to his forehead, and then pointed at the chandelier above him.

The chandelier exploded. It split apart into a shower of glass and sparks, all of which rained down like a hailstorm. The brass skeleton of the light twisted and bent before crashing to the ground in a tornado of dust and smoke. Then there was a faint cracking sound as something hissed through the air towards the back of Chris's neck.

Chris frowned and the object streaking towards him suddenly stopped, floating eerily in midair. It was a 50-caliber sniper bullet.

"What was that?" Chris asked, glaring.

There was a quick flicker of fear in the Chairman's eyes, but he paused as if nothing had happened.

"Oh that was an accident. You see, I was afraid you would be an enemy, I had no idea of your true strength. That's why I had a sniper positioned."

Chris could tell that the Chairman was lying through his teeth, but pressed the situation no further. "Okay, then."

The bullet behind him flashed and disintegrated into dust.

"What do you want me to do?"

oOo

The steam slowly cleared, and dust rose into the air. Rampage was hovering above Lutra, who was lying still on the ground.

The audience was silent for a few minutes, and the bead of sweat on Eldon's forehead dropped to the ground.

"It seems that Eldon has suffered a devastating loss!" Alan Harrison announced over the loudspeaker. "Bryce has wo- "

Lutra put a paw on the ground, struggled for a bit, and slowly pulled herself up.

"What?" Harrison exclaimed. "Amazing! Utterly amazing! The Vaporeon has gotten itself back up!"

"What the hell?" Bryce yelled angrily from the other side as the crowd began cheering. "That Vaporeon was hit by Rampage's Poison Whip! It's impossible that she could survive!"

"Lutra!" Eldon called out. "Draw out the last of all of your energy…"

Lutra opened her mouth, and a pulsing yellow orb swirled inside.

"And use Hidden Power right at the inside of Rampage!" Eldon finished, pointing directly at the Tentacruel.

The orb exploded from Lutra's mouth into five more, electric waves slamming into Rampage's unprotected and hollow insides.

Rampage was thrown into the air for a few seconds, hovering eerily. Then he crashed into the ground with a shattering of rocks, a bright white light coursing through the whole stadium. He was knocked out cold.

Lutra smiled at her victory, and then collapsed to the ground, fatigued.

"Good job, Lutra," Eldon whispered.

The crowd roared in applause.

oOo

_Aiden Dasopatis vs. Ty Carlson_

Aiden Dasopatis tightened his hand on the Pokeball, not sure if he had made the right choice.

"The second battle is up," Harrison announced cheerfully, "And tension is peaking!"

"May we welcome, from the red corner, seventeen year-old Aiden Dasopatis from Hoenn's Lavaridge Town! Though his Pokemon are not very strong, he is recognized for his defensive tactics!"

The crowd cheered, mingled with loud applause.

"And from the blue corner, Ty Carlson from the Orre region! He is a strong outdoorsman, and his Pokemon are a force to be reckoned with!"

Ty waved his arms as applause reigned supreme, shouts from supporters coming from the crowd. He had a smug smile on his face as he greeted Aiden.

"Are you up for it?"

Aiden pressed the button on his Pokeball. "You bet I am."

Two red streaks of light hurtled onto the ground, forming into large shapes.

"This battle will be different," Harrison boomed. "And will not require usage of platforms. Let the battle begin!"

"Gengar, let's see what you've got!" Aiden called out. The Ghost Pokemon snickered maliciously at the large Gliscor on the other side. He was balancing himself with his tail on the ground.

"Phantom will beat the crap outta ya," Ty yelled out, taunting Aiden.

"Well let's see how long you'll last!" Aiden answered back, standing up straight. "Gengar, use Double Team!"

"Phantom, Swords Dance!" Ty ordered.

Gengar split apart into multiples around Phantom, each grinning widely. The Gliscor tensed his claws, a red aura emerging around him. He didn't seem fazed.

Ty took out a pair of binoculars and trained them on the ring of rapidly flashing Gengar, muttering himself. Smiling triumphantly, he yelled out at Phantom.

"Phantom, Shadow Claw the second one on your left!"

Phantom raised his right claw and slashed down at one of the Gengar. There was a flash of shadows as the rest of the multiples exploded into nothingness, and the Gengar that Phantom had hit collapsed to the ground.

"How did you know which one was which?" Aiden asked, shocked.

"The one with the darkest shadow!" Ty replied, smirking. "It's simple science!"

Aiden swore, and called out another order at Gengar. "Use Double Shadow!"

Gengar charged at Phantom, glowing with a blue aura.

"Dodge, Phantom!" Ty yelled out.

Phantom swept to the side in a gust of wind, smiling. But not for long. To his horror, the Gengar that charged at him had suddenly disappeared, and he looked up to see a colossal Shadow Ball being fired at him from above. It slammed into him, swirling like a drill and crashing him to the ground in a hurricane of rocks.

"What was that?" Ty asked in horror.

"A Double Team multiple that was meant to be a diversion," Aiden answered, smiling. "The real Gengar was above Phantom, yet the movements were so fast you didn't notice."

At that same moment, exactly twenty eight flat jets of ice shot out from different sides of the stadium and connected with the other side, forming thin mirrors. The air had suddenly grown two times colder.

Aiden froze, staring up at the large plates of ice that loomed above him. Now he didn't have any view of his Gengar.

"Gengar?" Aiden called out uncertainly. "You there?"

Without waiting for an answer, he charged into the frigid labyrinth of ice, each one reflecting himself.

Right in front of him, he had found Gengar, who was standing uncertainly. "We need to find a way to clear the ice, don't we?"

Gengar looked down, disappointed.

"It's impossible, right?" Aiden asked. "Then we need to find the opponent before I get a brain freeze."

As if his call for help was answered, a loud shout broke the air. "Phantom, use Shadow Claw again!"

Aiden caught sight of the large bat flying towards them in the mirror, and yelled at Gengar to dodge as he dove away from the plate of ice. The Gliscor continued forward, shattering several panes of ice.

Then the Gliscor suddenly disappeared, and it was nowhere to be seen.

"Where did it go?" Aiden asked, a hint of fear in his voice.

Gengar growled, and spread his arms out wide, anticipating an attack. The Gliscor suddenly appeared in front of them, causing Aiden to yell out in triumph.

"He's there!" He cried out, pointing at the Gliscor grinning in front of them.

Gengar roared, and a Shadow Ball zipped from his palms, swirling into Phantom. It was then when Aiden realized that he had made a fatal mistake. The Gliscor somehow shattered into flakes of ice, and at that moment, Aiden jumped right over Gengar. Phantom was behind them, and he struck out at Aiden instead, who got smashed in the stomach. The blow caused him to fly back and crash into another frame of ice. Groaning and clutching his stomach in pain, he staggered back up, smiling at Ty, who was gaping in shock.

"Where did it go?" He asked menacingly.

"The shadows," Aiden replied, standing up. "Now Gengar, Ice Beam!"

Gengar shot up from Phantom's shadow, grinning widely at him as swirls of cold air was collected into his palms. As it formed into a sphere of swirling air, Gengar widened his palms and the air shot out in jets of blue beams, zapping the Gliscor simultaneously. Gasping, it collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

"How did that happen?" Ty asked, still unmoving with shock.

Aiden massaged his stomach again, smiling weakly. "When I jumped over Gengar, I created a shadow for it to go inside. Gengar can travel through shadows, you should know that."

He punched a fist into the air. "Good game."

_Lindsay Skies vs. Patali Rabora_

Lindsay twirled her Pokeball around on her finger while Harrison rubbed his hands in anticipation, his voice booming through the stadium.

"Welcome, audience! This is yet another platform battle, and who knows how this will turn out? Everybody excited?"

The audience yelled out their approval, and a wave of cheers came from around the stadium. Several people shouted for Harrison to get on with it.

Harrison held up his hands, smiling. "Okay, okay. From the blue corner, let's welcome Patali Rabora! She is from the Kanto region's Celadon City, and is famous for her quick decisions!"

The crowd cheered.

"The red corner holds Lindsay Skies, a formidable trainer who has surprising potential and is from Kanto's Pallet Town! Without further ado, let the battle commence!"

Patali took out her Pokeball and clenched it tightly in her hand.

"You up for this?" Lindsay asked politely, calling through the distance between them.

"Yeah," Patali answered. "Flara!" The Infernape materialized out from Patali's Pokeball with a bright flash of red.

"Sprout!" Lindsay called out, hurling the Pokeball to the battlegrounds. The capsule bounced back up, releasing a cheerful Jumpluff.

"Flara, start off with a Vacuum Wave!" Flara's hands glowed blue, and she swiped the air in front of her, launching a blue wave of energy towards Sprout.

"Dodge, Sprout!" Lindsay called out.

Sprout dodged out of the way, and the wave of energy impacted Sprout's previous area harmlessly.

"Sprout, Encore!" Sprout clapped his cotton puffs together, a beam of light shooting towards Flara, engulfing her. Dazed by the attack, Flara used Vacuum Wave again, the attack speeding towards Sprout. Sprout easily bounded over it, the momentum of the jump carrying him over Flara's head.

"Now use Seed Bomb!" Lindsay yelled. Sprout's mouth grew green, and he unleashed a glowing green sphere of energy at Flara. Flara clenched her fists, caught off-guard. Energy waves erupted all around her as the packed ball of energy slammed into her, knocking her breath out.

But it wasn't over yet. Yelling in fury, Flara suddenly jumped out of the explosion of dust straight towards Spore, who was still floating in midair.

"Use Shadow Claw!" Patali yelled. Flara's right hand grew purple, and with her left hand, she grabbed Sprout. He couldn't break out of the grip in time, and received a world of pain. The force of the blow launched him higher into the air.

"Aerial Ace!" Sprout charged towards Flara, the wind gathering around him, and he rammed her back into the ground in an explosion of rocks. Sprout then landed back on his feet lightly, bracing himself. Flara struggled back onto her feet and stood up, staggering around a bit.

"Earthquake!" Patali yelled. Flara punched the ground, and the ground started shaking. A circle of energy started spreading from where Flara hit the ground. The ground cracked, jagged lines splitting through the entire battlefield. Spore jumped up, narrowly avoiding the attack, and began riding on thermal drafts.

"Aerial Ace, Sprout!" Spore shifted into a ready position, rearing back for another charge.

"Flare Blitz, Flara!" Fire suddenly erupted around Flara, as if flaming volcanoes were under her the whole time. Ripples of heat suddenly appeared around her, and she resembled a mirage. Then, the heat seemed to gather in her hands, and she stepped back and charged towards Sprout, who had jumped back into the air and was dive bombing towards her. They both collided in midair, a dome of energy coursing through the stadium.

The smoke cleared, and Sprout wobbled out, looking severely battered. Flara dashed out after him and grabbed Sprout's feet, flinging him back to the ground, where he crashed, struggling to get up. Jumping back from her attack, Flara alighted nimbly on the ground.

"How do you like that?" Patali yelled triumphantly. Lindsay gritted her teeth in frustration. She wasn't about to go out on her very first battle in the trial. She needed a new strategy…

As if fate had answered her wish, fire suddenly erupted on one side of the stadium, surging through like a raging dragon. Lindsay's eyes trailed the fire as it traveled around the stadium, an idea forming in her mind.

Sprout's cotton balls started glowing orange. He suddenly stood up straight, his eyes glowing with renewed determination. It was like he had never felt better before.

"What the…?" Patali gasped, while Lindsay smiled.

"Sprout's special ability is Chorophyll, which doubles his speed in strong light. Or didn't you know that?" Lindsay informed Patali. "The fire along with the bright sunlight releases effects similar to Sunny Day." Patali didn't look so cocky then, but she quickly regained her composure.

"He's nearly finished anyways!" She yelled. "Flara, finish him off with a Vacuum Wave!" Flara's hands glowed blue, and she sent another wave of energy towards Sprout.

Nothing could stop him. Sprout sped out of the way so fast that he was a blur to the naked eye, and he appeared right next to Flara before anyone could blink.

"Leech seed!" Lindsay ordered.

Sprout shot out a rain of cotton puffs onto Flara, which latched onto her. Flara growled and attempted a swipe, but Sprout easily dodged out of the way. The swipe caused the puffs to glow green, and Sprout glowed green as well. Flara stumbled as some of her life energy was transferred to Sprout. Patali definitely had a panicked look in her eyes now.

The fire roared harder, threatening to take them both in.

"Don't attack, Flara!" Patali ordered.

"Too late. Encore!" Lindsay called out.

Sprout clapped again, and Flara was forced to use Vacuum Wave again, which Sprout dodged easily. Flara stumbled again as some more of her life energy was transferred into Sprout. Flara looked like she was almost done, stumbling to the ground.

Then she dropped in a crouch on the ground, and an orange aura began surrounding her. Patali's eyes lit up, while Lindsay's quickly turned worried.

"What?" Lindsay asked weakly.

"Didn't you know? Flara's special ability is Blaze, which increases her attack by a lot when she's seriously hurt!" Patali yelled back.

"Flara, Flare Blitz!" Fire erupted again. This time, with the added effect of the cotton puffs glowing green, but it hardly seemed to faze Flara at the point. She charged towards Spore.

"Seed Bomb!" Sprout launched several explosives of energy at Flara, but she managed to dodge them while not breaking stride, the bombs exploding harmlessly around her. The heat energy she charged up though had dissipated, feeding the gradually growing storm of fire around them.

"Sprout, dodge!" Sprout jumped out of the way, and Flara charged past the spot where Sprout just was.

"Sprout, jump and Aerial Ace!" Sprout jumped in the air, and then proceeded to dive bomb the Infernape.

"Flara, Flare Blitz one more time!" Patali called out.

Flara started charging up another Flare Blitz, but the spores latched on to her flashed green again, draining her energy and causing her to break concentration. The attack was unleashed in a torrent of flame, speeding through the ring of fire around them and gathering in strength.

"Go!" Both Patali and Lindsay yelled at the same time.

Sprout unleashed a final blast of solar powered energy at the pillar of fire, and there was a massive explosion as the fire split apart into smoke.

Then there was silence.

The smoke slowly cleared, revealing the Infernape and Sprout lying on the ground, heavily battered and bruised.

Tension heightened to its peak.

But the Leech Seed had done its trick. Glowing green, Sprout flashed once, and he stumbled onto his feet.

"AND THE WINNER IS LINDSAY SKIES AND SPROUT!" Harrison yelled. The crowd roared their approval, cheers erupting through the stadium.

oOo

"That was done well…" The Chairman whispered. He was staring at the vast expanse of clear blue liquid shimmering in a large glass vial.

It began raining outside.

Thunder boomed overhead.

* * *

Yeah, and I'm finished with the chapter. Sorry for the delay, since it was far too long, I split the chapter into two parts. So R&R please!

*Credits to Lindsay's battle goes to TripleNNNBooyeah, because I was way too busy and he offered to do it for me. I gave it a makeover though to fit my style, but the battle sequence and ideas go to him. A big thank you.


	11. Shadow Storm

**The Power Trials**

**Chapter 10: Shadow Storm**

Rain lashed across the trees, strong wind gusting through. Thunder rumbled within the dark clouds of the boiling sky, lightning crackling through the rain.

Alan Harrison stepped up to the microphone, his announcer's podium shielded by a dark blue shade.

"Since it has begun raining, we have decided to shut down the fire and ice machines. The weather has made it a perfect environment to battle in, so I suppose the next few competitors would like to use it." He looked back at the rows of chairs each of the battlers were sitting in. "Unless they say so otherwise."

There was muttering among them, and soon they had reached an agreement. Evelyn Tirene stood up. "Both Megan and I have chosen to battle."

Harrison smiled. "Then let it begin. Next match, Evelyn Tirene against Megan Rayme!"

oOo

The Chairman held up the glass vial and gazed at it with wonder. It shimmered with energy, and glowed faintly of blue.

"Is this enough?" He turned to face darkness, as if speaking to no one. There was a rumble of noise, and the darkness rippled unnaturally. The Chairman winced as a voice spoke. It was filled with icy cruelty, as if all the cold in the world had formed together to create it. It seemed as if a thousand voices were speaking at once, making the ground shake with the sheer power.

"Enough," The voice hissed. "Place it on the ground."

The Chairman trembled, and the vial shook in his hand.

It shifted. And it fell.

The darkness roared in fury, and the shadows began creeping over the walls, freezing them with an aura so cold frigid air was wafting off them, cracking the walls. A jet of black shot out and engulfed the vial before it fell to the ground.

The shadows on the walls continued creeping across the walls of the room, shrouding the room in darkness. The walls began cracking, and The Chairman collapsed to the ground in terror, whimpering.

The walls started shimmering with energy, and a wave of pure black force exploded through the walls, the scream of the Chairman echoing through the wind and pounding rain.

oOo

Evelyn's Swampert dug its paws into the ground and roared as tendrils of glowing energy twisted from the ground and wrapped over him. Rain lashed through the stadium, thunder booming through the sky.

Megan wiped water from her chin with the back of her hand, and glanced at her Gastrodon, through a mist of howling wind and swirling water.

The other trainer was grimacing as she witnessed the rain that was lashing down on to the Gastrodon, only to be swirling around it, getting sucked into it. It was as if a mini hurricane had surrounded the Gastrodon. Its own personal rainstorm.

"Storm Drain," Megan grinned, as the rain began pounding down harder.

Evelyn smiled back. "Nothing to worry about."

A flock of Taillow flew off the trees in alarm as the driving rain split around the two Pokémon, a resounding boom shaking off into the distance.

Swampert was glowing with energy, its two front paws dug into the ground as tendrils of light wrapped around them. As this happened, rock began crusting around the Swampert's back paws, fusing with the earth.

Megan cringed at the sight, and yelled out an order at Jello, her Gastrodon. "Use Surf!"

Anxiety contorted her face as Gastrodon summoned a tidal wave from the ground at Swampert, dust and stone erupting from its wake.

"Before it can boost itself any more…" Megan murmured to herself.

The wave crashed right through the Swampert, causing it to stagger and collapse to the ground. The rocks beneath its paws crumbled to dust, only to have more collect around them as Swampert brought himself up, shaking water off himself.

Evelyn frowned at this. Although Curse boosted her Swampert's attack power and defense, it also brought its speed down by having rocks binding it to the ground.

"Waterfall!" Evelyn called out.

Swampert began crashing towards the Gastrodon, leaving a trail of desolation as the ground began continuously wrapping itself around Swampert and shattering at the same time.

Megan yelled out a warning as the Swampert brought both its arms down at Jello. A circle of water split from around them and there was a flash of light as boulders and pieces of earth flew into the air.

The Gastrodon had been brought down into a ten foot wide crater.

oOo

Eldon slid his room card across the scanner, and entered as the door hissed open. As he walked in, a silhouette moved across the transparent white curtains, right at his balcony.

He wasn't about to let this person get away this time.

"Hey!" He called out, running across the room, waving his arms. The shadow flitted across and disappeared as quickly as Eldon had started running.

He flung open the curtains and threw open the balcony door. A howling wind struck him and rain lashed against his face.

"Stop!"

Eldon squinted his eyes and glanced up at the looming doorway above him. Grabbing onto the ledge, he hoisted himself up and surveyed his surroundings.

Everything was darkness. Pitch black. The only thing he heard was the sound of footsteps fading in the distance.

Eldon did one thing. He ran.

Fighting to keep his breathing steady and every muscle in his legs straining to keep up with his actions, Eldon called out.

"Hey! Whoever you are, stop!"

Eldon's eyes started adjusting to the darkness, but he followed his ears and kept on running. That was when he stepped into emptiness.

His scream echoed through the cave as he fell.

oOo

"Finish it off with a Waterfall!" Evelyn called out, as she tried to focus on what was happening. It had begun raining harder, and she felt as if her eyes were going blind.

But it didn't ebb her Swampert's power. The water beast had gathered the rain around his arms, an orb of water swirling around them.

He stomped forward and crashed into the crater, thrusting his arms as jets of water shot through.

The crater exploded. A wave of energy tore through, and dust jetted into the air, boulders crashing through the battlefield.

Swampert was thrown back from the sudden upsurge and he skid across the earth on his back, layers of rock forming around his hind legs.

The smoke cleared and the Gastrodon slid through, his trainer walking behind him.

"Ice Beam!" Megan yelled.

Bolts of blue-white ice energy burst from Jello's mouth and jettisoned through the rain. Deathly sharp shards of ice formed around the beam as it surged through. Nothing could stop it.

The beam was headed for the Swampert at point-blank range.

Evelyn winced as her Pokemon bellowed in pain, the beam of ice slamming into his chest, shards of ice slicing across his skin. A layer of ice formed around the Swampert's arms, and they froze over.

The Pokemon had felt its arms go numb, and he was unable to move them. Evelyn called out a warning as the Swampert roared, only to welcome a Surf attack.

The wave of water swamped over him and brought him crashing into the ground.

oOo

Eldon's heart skipped a beat and he sighed in relief as fortunately, he landed on something sturdy and large that was a short distance below him. Unfortunately, it was moving.

He looked down and discovered that he was in the trunk of a pickup truck, and looked over to the side to see the head of a pistol being pointed at him.

It took him a split second to duck down as the bullet singed past his hair. He heard the driver swear, and a Vigoroth climbed out from the window.

It smiled at him. And its fist connected with the side of his head.

The force of the blow swept him off the back of the truck, and he crashed into the concrete ground. As he slowly brought himself back up, he watched the pickup speeding off uphill.

It struck Eldon as odd, since the dormitory building wasn't that big. But he did remember a mountain beside the building.

He should have just left the scene. He should have just gone back to his room and rest.

But Eldon could care less. The man had just pointed a gun at him, and he wasn't about to let him get away with it.

"Jolt!" Eldon yelled, as his Jolteon flashed out in a red light. He started sprinting forward.

"Let's get him." Eldon muttered as Jolt dashed forward and started running alongside him.

Eldon shook his head. "Catch up to him and stop him with a Thunderbolt."

"Jolteon!" The electric dog dashed to his full speed and streaked towards the truck.

The roof overhead disappeared, and Eldon found himself high up on a mountain cliff. Rain was pounding, soaking his clothes. Thunder crackled.

At the end of the cliff, the road ended, looming above a large plain. But the truck kept on going.

Jolt shot forward and launched a lightning bolt at the car, short-circuiting the controls. The car continued moving forward, edging towards the end of the cliff. It swerved.

Eldon watched in horror as the car veered off the cliff, tumbling down. There were no screams. There were no cries of terror.

There was the sound of hissing rain as the car exploded, metal parts crashing around wildly, a ball of fire flaring up as the rain fought hard to keep it at bay.

Neither Eldon nor Jolt had noticed a shadowy shape streaking from the explosion, into the sky and through the rain.

oOo

Megan wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, the water from the rain blinding them.

She had only a single chance to finish this. Both Pokemon were on equal footing. Both were greatly weakened.

If she was going to win, she only had then to find out.

"Use Surf one more time!"

A wide wave of water gushed from Jello's mouth, and swept across the field like a tidal wave.

Megan was almost certain of victory. She was sure that it was hers. But then she saw the wall of water split apart, gathering around something that was gaining water from all around it.

Swampert crashed through the battlefield and brought an arm surrounded by a tornado of water down on the Gastrodon.

The water dissipated into the air and Jello slumped down onto the ground.

The crowed roared.

Megan walked over to her Gastrodon and returned it to his Pokeball.

"Great job," She murmured, and then walked over to Evelyn and put out a hand.

"Good match," Evelyn said, shaking the hand.

The crowed cheered even harder, and Megan waited for Harrison to announce the victor. She turned around and glanced at the commentator's podium.

Amidst the cheering, she saw something very strange.

Harrison wasn't there.


End file.
